Growing seeds indoor is not difficult if you get the basics right – all you need is soil, water, light, and good seeds.

Photo credit: Pagoda

Soil

A good quality soil can be bought ready and should consist of garden loam, clean sand, peat moss, or humus in equal parts. The soil itself should be dampened but not soggy.

Seed trays or Pots

The seed trays or pots should be sterilized and soaked and have good drainage. You can put gravel at the bottom with a thin layer of sphagnum moss topped with the soil.

Germination of Seeds

Getting fresh seeds from reputable seed producers will ensure good germination. Cover with fine soil three times the diameter of the seed. Various seeds require different handling (check instructions in seed packet); some need to be scarified while others pre-soaked.

During germination, seeds must have moisture. You can maintain a uniform moisture by spraying with a bulb syringe. Don’t allow them to get soggy though, watering in the morning should be sufficient.

Bright light is also important. You can consider buying an indoor grow light to improve brightness. But some seeds need darkness to germinate or shun direct light which can cause burning, so read the instructions carefully.

The temperature for germination should be about 60–70 degrees. Germination mats are helpful or you can just set the trays where the heat is optimal, for example the top of the refrigerator.

Seedlings

When the seed leaves start appearing, the warmth needed for germination can be reduced to about 50 degrees. This will force the plants to become stocky and vigorous instead of looking scrawny.

Seedlings in a window need to be turned every day to prevent them from bending. As they grow, remove weak plants by pulling them gently from the soil.

Transplanting seedlings

Not every plants adapt well to transplanting. Before transplanting, prepare the containers or garden soil. Terracotta pots should be soaked first and the soil moistened and workable.

Test the soil by balling it and see if it falls apart when you open your hand. If it’s too “sticky,” there is too much clay or moisture. The soil can be amended with compost and sand for better drainage.

Next, use a fork to lift the seedlings from the soil. Place the plants in the container or ground and firm soil carefully about the roots. Don’t plant too loosely.

You can apply organic fertilizer weekly to encourage healthy growth after the young plants are in place. If they require staking or trellises, it’s best to install them beforehand.

Initially, the seedlings are delicate and must be protected from strong wind, light or extreme temperatures. Place them in an area with dappled shade and a few hours of sunlight a day, increasing exposure gradually.

If it is too cold at night, then move the plants indoors. Continue keeping them evenly moist. Also keep a lookout for slugs and bugs. Slugs in particular are notorious for annihilating small seedlings, so exterminate them early.

It takes about two weeks to condition your plants. Timing is crucial for transplanting the plants but there is still much guesswork, even for experienced gardeners. A very wet or dry spring can throw off your entire gardening time table.

Never rush to transplant seedlings into the garden, if the weather doesn’t cooperates, else your efforts could be wasted.

Horticulturalists monitoring the spread of the Rosemary Beetle, Scarlet lily Beetle, Berberis sawfly and Hemerocallis gall midge have warned that the creatures are rapidly spreading northwards and westwards across Britain.

Latest surveillance figures show the insects are now being found as far north as Scotland and as far west as Wales and Cornwall.

Source: Telegraph

When you are importing plants from England, keep an eye out for these gardening pests, which can defoliate the herbs, flowers and shrubs.

These gardening pests are not native to England but but they have adapted well to the environment. Climate has also played a part in their propagation.

Gardeners have found extermination of these pests to be tricky, so it pays to be careful.

Photo credit: Knitty

Anyway, much of the work is done. I am back to reviewing my gardening diary. January and February are ideal for planning, ordering seeds, and starting plants indoors to get a head start in the growing season.

If you are willing to brave the cold, now is a good time to drop by the local garden center. There will be no crowd and the staff can attend to your needs properly. You can also check out the different plants for spring gardening at your leisure.

Don’t wait till you want to plant before buying gardening items. By then, you will be joining the queue and prices will have gone up some. If you hunt around now, you can save money from good bargains and end-of-season clearance sales, especially potting mix and fertilizers.

Ordering seeds early ensure you get the best selection. You can start sowing the seeds in starter trays but check the the last frost date and package instruction first.

The garden shed is another area where I have to do some work. After a year of rummaging through the garden shed, it looks untidy. As I like to be able to find my tools when I need them, organizing the garden shed before my spring gardening starts is a must.

I also clean up the terracotta pots, planters and starter trays. Not to forget the garden tools, blades, mower are checked to make sure they are functional. If not, I will send them for repair or buy new tools.

Soil testing is a good practice too. You can either buy a basic soil test kit like the Luster Leaf 1818 Rapitest Mini 4-in-1 Soil Tester or send soil samples to the labs. Healthy soil is essential to a productive plant, so it pays to check that the nutrients in your soil are not depleted.

During this time, I also browse gardening catalogs and magazines to get additional inspiration. But I don’t like falling into stereotypes and make my garden look exactly alike.

You can make changes according to your preference and amount of gardening work you can devote if you have a busy life. Remember that a beautiful garden is not maintenance-free.

While it is good to plan ahead, you should avoid working in the garden too early and waste your efforts. The soil needs to be damp but not soggy. If you take a handful of soil and make a ball, it should fall apart easily when you open your hand.

Each of us have our own preparation tips to make spring gardening more enjoyable and efficient. Gardeners are a friendly bunch, so feel free to share your experience and ideas.

A raised bed is any area of soil higher than its surrounding. It can be easily erected using wood, stones or even tires.

Photo credit: Steffen Hauser

Less Work and Bending

Raised beds are superior to conventional row planting in that there is much less work in tilling and digging the soil yearly which save you time and effort in the long run.

With raised bed garden, the optimal soil mix is created at the start. There is no massive amending; at most, raised beds will require shallow turning and laying of compost every year. The turning is a breeze if the soil is loose, stone free, and contains a good proportion of organic matter.

Another practical aspect is less bending over which prevents back pain and knee aches, especially for the elderly. You can adjust the height of the raised beds to suit your needs.

Less Space Needed

Raised beds can be planted intensively because of better soil mix. And since crops are not confined to rows, space is used more efficiently. You can produce enough food to feed two person in a small garden if you plan your raised beds properly.

Easy Weeding

Since we make the soil in raised beds, weed seeds are less likely to be embedded as compared to native soil. The extra height is also a barrier for weeds.

Though there are lesser weeds, you still have to do weeding occasionally. It is less troublesome in the loose, soft soil though.

Healthier Soil

Gardening with a raised bed maintains healthy and active soil. The soil is largely intact and plant roots can absorb whatever nutrients and moisture in the soil, without fear of organic matter being washed away.

Environmentally speaking, raised beds also helps reduce global warming by sequestering carbon instead of releasing it into the atmosphere.

More Vegetable Yield

Raised beds make your landscape more attractive and increase the yield of fruits and vegetables per square foot. As the depth and texture of the soil improve, so will your plant growth.

Unlike commercial growers who have to plant in rows due to the movement of their big machinery, our gardening is largely manual and that makes it easier for us to leverage on the advantages of raised beds.

Raised beds may take some getting used to, but once you try, you’ll be pleased with the improvements to your plants.

As the name implies, The Virgin Gardener is tailored for new gardeners or those who feel they never have green fingers. Never mind that you don’t understand what pruning, compost, mulch is. You will have a clear picture after reading this book.

The Virgin Gardener is adorned with full-color gorgeous photos and delightful ideas for developing your urban garden (yes, even a window ledge in a tiny apartment) and dressing up your kitchen table, bathroom, garage, or fireplace with flowers.

You can also learn how to care for cut flowers; nurture an orchid; grow jungle greens, and which herbs to harvest all year from your window boxes.

The book has eight main sections: Basics, Decorate, Eat, Drink, Grow, Luxuriate, Extras and Lust List.

Basics – Many gardening books assume readers have basic knowledge of gardening which is often not true. This section fills up the gaps with advice on essential items, buying plants and definitions.

Decorate – Laetitia Maklouf gives a thorough recommendation on planting ideas and flower displays which include fern walls and turning garage flowers into a perfect posy.

Eat – lots of tasty recipes here… with peppermint creams made with real garden mint, blueberries for muffins, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, and gooseberry lollipops.

Drink – to go with the delicious food. Includes rosewater, rose geranium punch, rosehip syrup and elderflower bubbly.

Lust List – Laetitia’s favored list of plants. You may have your own preferences but looking at the gorgeous plants in her list is a good way to get started!

There are many reasons why people shun gardening, either they don’t know how to get started, have a phobia after repeated failures, or just think their little flats have barely enough space for living, not to mention planting.

Whatever the reasons, this informative, beautifully presented and easy to read book will give you the confidence to set forth in gardening with a sense of fun to boot.

Make a New Year’s resolution to garden this chilly winter.

Depending on your weight and the vigorousness of your work, one hour of gardening could burn up about 272 calories. Transplant a shrub, and the number of calories burned could jump to an incredible 340 calories per hour.

Just think of that extra helping of Brussels sprouts casserole you’ll be able to eat guilt free at the New Year’s feast (not to mention that humongous slice of pumpkin pie smothered in whipped cream)!

Source: Seattle Times.

Well, I have never been a calories watcher. Hence, I am not sure if I manage to burn off 340 calories from an hour of transplanting a shrub.

But I can attest to improved fitness from gardening. If you are a new gardener or have taken a long break, you are going to get back ache and muscle cramps from a few hours of gardening.

With practice, the gardening chores are easy. And I get an adrenaline rush from all the hard work and seeing the garden turning out right.

You guys get the idea… make gardening your new year resolution too!

Photo credit: coanmice

Having eaten organically grown garlic, I must say the taste is better than store bought garlic. Hence growing garlic in the garden is a sensible choice. And it gives some protection to wild seasonal swings in garlic prices.

Garlic takes about eight months to mature. As garlic prefers sunny weather, you can start planting garlic cloves in early winter, about six weeks before the soil freezes over. You can then harvest in fall and store the garlic for use in winter.

The optimal garden soil for garlic is slightly acidic, light, dry but not freshly manured. On wet soils, grow garlic in raised beds.

Arrange the cloves 25 cm apart and top-dress with mulch to retain moisture and deter weeds. Weeds have to be removed as they can easily crowd out the garlic’s foliage. Mulch again after the ground freezes to protect plants from the cold.

Remove the mulch in spring so the sun can warm the soil, then add a fresh layer. To ensure large bulbs, cut back the flower stalks. Once the leaves become yellow and wither, it means that your garlic crop is ready for harvesting.

Always lift your cloves with a fork, instead of pulling by the the stem which may cause damage and allow disease spores to enter. Once thoroughly dried, garlic keep well for many months.

Garlic is one of the easiest vegetables to grow in your garden. Even a novice can master it. However, you have to watch out for pink root, which stunts root growth. Make sure you get the garlic bulbs from reputable nurseries and the soil has not been used to grow onions.

As I am rather new to wordpress, I guess becoming a more efficient blogger is a good way to start the year.

Here are a few tips which can help our blogs shine in the new year.